


When everything went wrong

by ReleasingTheKrakenIsMyFetish



Series: Ree [1]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Beginnings, F/M, Kidnapping, Long Shot, Original Character(s), Threats of Violence, To Be Continued, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-19
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-12-31 13:49:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12133830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReleasingTheKrakenIsMyFetish/pseuds/ReleasingTheKrakenIsMyFetish
Summary: Ree, 25 years old, traumatized by an incident that occurred in her youth, was one of the few survivors who managed to leave the vault. After the cryogenic stasis ended she was rescued by a woman called Holly, but the new, strange world has a lot to teach...





	When everything went wrong

_It's over for me_. I had thought it was over when the nuclear bomb happened. I had thought it was over when we descended to the vault. When they put us in these cocoons, when I felt the icy numbness strike my fingertips. But I was wrong – today, it seems like it's for real.

When I first managed to get out of the vault – where almost everyone else had died during the cryogenic stasis – I was lucky enough to find Holly. She took me in and taught me to survive in this new, dangerous world. After her father died two years ago she made a living out of scavenging and trading. She welcomed me and after few months she told me I was like her little sister. Not that I was that much younger than her. Holly was 28, and I had just turned 25.

I had lived with Holly for six months. She had a nice little cottage by a lake, which would've been perfect for a swim – but of course, it wasn't. The water had high levels of radiation and we had to fetch drinking water from a spring some three miles away and still treat it before it was pure enough.

Every now and then a trader came by and we could exchange our findings for food, caps and weapons. The trader was a nice, elderly man named Earl, who constantly worried over us. He called us ”his girls”, which always triggered Holly, but I didn't mind. He was a good man, who only wanted to look out for us and keep us safe. Too bad he was also heavily addicted to jet and when he was high, he had a habit of babbling anything that came into his mind. 

One night Earl was high as a bat, and told about his girls living alone in a secluded cottage to a guy, who happened to be a member of a raider gang. But not just any raiders – these were making business out of capturing and selling people as slaves. Apparently there was a market for it, too. 

It happened while we were returning from the water spring. At first we didn't notice anything being off, but Holly noticed the door when we got closer to the cottage. It had been bashed in, but afterwards rearranged so that it couldn't be seen from far away. 

I dropped the water cans and reached for the long blade I carried with me. I didn't have a gun, because I was still a terrible shot, even after Holly had tried teaching me to use them. Holly wasn't exactly a sharpshooter herself, but was good enough to keep mirelurks and other pests off the premises. 

Guns terrified me – I know how stupid it is, but when you're 16 and snap out of it while holding a gun and a robber was bleeding to death at your kitchen floor, it still freaks me out to even hold one in my hands. Even when my parents ran to me from their bedroom, I couldn't open my fingers and let the gun drop. It felt like it was glued to my skin and instead of me holding it, it held me, and didn't let go.

Holly pulled her modified rifle from its holster and looked around, but nothing came at us. Everything besides the door looked normal. 

”Maybe it was just a drifter looking for food”, I whispered.  


”Then why bother to close the door so carefully”, Holly muttered back. ”Unless they're still inside. Either rummaging the place, sleeping, or waiting for us to return.” 

”Should we just run?” 

”Hell no. That's my daddy's cottage, and I'm not about letting anyone take it from me. There's a root cellar right behind those shrubs. It's connected to the cottage. We haven't been away so long that they'd had the time to sniff that one out. If I use that, I'm able to enter the cottage basement without them noticing.” 

”You're _not_ going there alone”, I almost shouted, but lowered my voice just before the words burst out between my lips. 

”Yes I am. I'm more quiet by myself, and I know how to move down there. It's dark, so you could easily stumble and make a ruckus. You're staying here, while I'm finding out what's going on. If it's just a drifter, we'll drive them off. If it's bandits, I'll kick their asses. Anyway. Do not come out, until I call for you.” 

Even Holly hadn't thought of them being raiders. We were so far from the city area and even the trader's normal route went by a good ten miles away – Earl was the only trader to travel by us, since he had been an old friend of Holly's dad. We didn't have much. We seldom showed ourselves among other people and even then kept a low profile. We simply weren't interesting enough. 

I started to protest, but Holly just hushed me. 

”Ree”, she whispered my name with a tone I couldn't argue with. Then she pressed my head down and began making her way around the cottage. 

I felt an ugly lump in my stomach even if, according to Holly, this wasn't the first time her and her father had encountered an odd drifter or two. Trying to keep the small breakfast down I swallowed and tried to focus my eyes on to the windows. I squeezed the handle of my blade and started counting seconds in my mind. 

For few minutes there wasn't a peep. I might have heard a quiet, rusty sound of the root cellar hatch being opened, but that could've been just my imagination. I started to miss the old world before the war. It had been far from perfect, but at least it had been a familiar one. 

After I got traumatized with the break-in incident I pretty much just watched my life to go on, like I was an outsider. Therapy had helped me coming over what I had experienced, but it couldn't wash away the fact that I had killed someone. I still managed to finish up my school and got in a decent university, from where I started working as a librarian. I was content with my life alone, since by that time my mom had died in a car crash and my dad, who couldn't handle with it or facing me, just vanished. 

Before doing that though, he had signed up himself and me for the vault program. I thought that at least I'd get to see him there when the earth shook and the sirens started howling, but he never showed up. 

When I had counted up to ten minutes I still saw or heard nothing. No movement, no drifters, but no Holly, either. I started to puzzle if I should crouch around the cottage and try for the root basement too, but just then the door was flown open with a loud bang. 

My heart went cold and my mouth dried up in an instant. Out of the cottage came Holly, with her arm twisted behind her, and a rough-looking guy holding her. Behind them out came yet two men, who were wearing raggy outfits. The other one was hiding his face behind a gas mask of some sort. 

”Come on out, mousie”, the man holding Holly shouted with a hoarse voice. ”I know you're out there! Your pal Earl told me so much about you!” 

I began to shake, not knowing what to do. The man held Holly tight, but then he removed his hand off her mouth. He seemed to be saying something to her, but she jolted her head up with an angry face. 

”There's _nobody_ there”, I heard her stating loudly. ”I got tired of her and took her to Diamond City to work. I live alone now.” 

I think the man twisted her arm, because she winced and gave a small, choked gasp. 

”Ya think I'm stupid, huh? Hey, mousie! How would you like to see your friend here to get a new haircut? My man there, Bobby, just _loooves_ to give haircuts! Too bad that he sucks at it and usually ends up cutting the whole scalp.” 

With that, the masked man stepped forward and took out a hunting knife. He grabbed Holly's ponytail and gave it a yank, making her neck extend. 

”Last chance, lil' mouse! If I promise Bobby that he can play his little hair saloon game, I really can't take the fun from him once he's started,” the bastard yelled. 

”I already told you! I'm _alone_! You can cut me up however you like, but that's not going to change”, Holly screamed. 

I was now crying, even though I still didn't make a sound. Holly was protecting me. She was ready to die for me and in order for me to survive. But what then? How long would I last alone? Holly was the closest thing I had for a family. I felt like I was being torn apart – if I would stand up, it would be the end for us both. If I would stay down it'd still be questionable if I could get away without the men finding me. 

The men kept still, with only Holly making a weak fuss with her arm twisted and hair being pulled back. Then the guy who had yelled for me to come out gave a nod to the man named Bobby, who quickly made a cut right above Holly's temple. The blood trickled down by her cheek and her high-pitched but short scream made me spring up. 

”Stop”, I tried to shout, but it came out as a dry breath. I swallowed and shouted again, out of breath. ” _Stop_! I'm here. Please, just... stop.” 

Bobby was still holding Holly's hair and the knife on her temple, but at least he didn't continue his work. The guy behind Holly gave me a wide, crooked smile. 

”Well, hello there! You almost made me believe you'd let your friend lose her pretty hair. Now, walk over here and drop any weapons you've got on, or I'll give Bobby a permission to get back on with it.” 

At first my feet felt like they wouldn't move, but like a miracle I got the other one up and down again. I took a few wobbly steps at them and dropped the blade. I was shaking all over and the tears were tickling my chin. I kept my angry eyes fixed on the man who was holding Holly and he gave me a little laugh. 

”Aww, c'me on, mousie. It's nothing personal. Now, just let Jack over here to inspect you so that you don't have any surprises for us.” 

The other man jogged over, keeping me at his gunpoint. He grabbed my neck and pressed me down so that I was soon lying on my stomach. I tilted my head so that I could see Holly, who also had started to have tears in her eyes. She was both furious and sad for me. I already knew that if we'd ever survive this alive, she would never forgive me for being so weak. 

Jack felt me from head to toes and when he was sure I didn't carry anything else with me, he yanked me on my knees. 

The guy who was keeping Holly moved her to Bobby's arms, which looked like a pair of logs, and walked in front of me. I didn't avert his gaze. If he was to kill me, or rape me before killing me, I wouldn't give him the satisfaction by looking as scared as I felt. 

”Huh. I thought the big sister here was a good deal, but you look like you could be worth for four or five month's supplies.” 

He grabbed my chin with his coarse fingers and moved my face from side to side. 

”You still in your twenties? That's good. You've got all limbs attached, too. No missing eyes, or ears, either.” 

”You're looking some fun? You don't want _her_. She's practically a big baby, doesn't know anything about men. But I do. I can show you some good time, just let her go”, Holly started babbling. I hated how her voice sounded. 

”Shut up”, the man holding my chin said to her and turned back to me. ”Is that right, then? You a virgin?” 

My cheeks became hot as something cold but invisible traveled from my neck along my spine. The man gave a short laugh. 

”Hey now, that's nothing to be embarrassed of! In fact, that's a great news for us. Virgin cunts are usually high bid stuff, 'cause the new owners like 'em new and untouched. They like to mold 'em and make 'em custom fitted”, the man winked at me. 

”Your name must be Ree, although I hope you're not too attached to it. The new owners want to name their pets as they like.” 

”Riedrich, can I knock this one out? She's squirming about so much”, Bobby grunted. Holly was indeed still trying to free herself, even though she must have known it's futile. 

The man, who I now know was Riedrich, turned around and shook his head. 

”No, you've damaged her enough. We'll have to see if she needs some stitches to fix her up before the delivery.” 

He grabbed me by my arm and lifted me up like I weighted nothing. I've always been more or less petite, but next to him I felt like standing next to a tower. I flinched when he gave my arm a squeeze. 

”Now, you're both going to play nice, yeah? Do that, and we'll be nice, too.” He began pulling my shirt and ragged jeans, as Bobby started doing the same with Holly.

I exclaimed, but Riedrich shut me up by bringing his face just an inch away from mine. 

”We need to check yer skin for diseases, rashes and that sort of things. So stop being so fucking modest.” 

It was beyond humiliation. While we were restrained by Riedrich and Bobby, Jack gave us a full inspection. At least, I comforted myself, they didn't do anything else. They pretty much treated us like cattle. 

Afterwards they gave us our clothes and tied our hands back and feet together. Jack went back to the cottage and soon came back with Holly's backpack, no doubt carrying everything we had of value, which wasn't much. 

The men carried us in their wagon which they had hidden a bit further into the forest. It was pulled by a big, strong brahmin. We were placed next to each other and Riedrich moved so quickly, that neither of us got to react properly when he injected something in our arms. 

”Don't ya worry, it's just lil' something to make you sleep. We don't want you to start yelling...” 

Rest of his words just scattered in my brain and his obnoxious face blurred, then disappeared into a thick fog. Then everything went black. Last thing I remember is feeling Holly's head dropping on my right shoulder. 

_It's over for me. It's over for us._

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, and thank you for picking up my story! This will be the longest fanfic I've ever written, so be gentle with me. I'm also sure you'll notice that English isn't my first language, so there might be some odd expressions/words here and there, though there should be only very few actual typos. I'd love to read your comments!
> 
> P.S: Oh. One more thing. Eventually there will be smut, even more smut, sex and cherries on top. So... Hang on!


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